Day 7 - Shadow World (Almost midnight)
The door creaked open slowly, and Klarne walked in. No lights were on as she continued past the living room and counter, and started to walk up the stairs, slowly and quietly. "They're supposed to be sleeping in the rooms upstairs," she whispered to someone walking behind her.
From a dark corner on the first floor, wearing a cloak, he started to mumble a few words with his palm up in front of him. A swirl of red energy started to shape into a small ball in his hand, floating as it did. With one more word said, he threw it lightly at Klarne and the other person. The energy dropped to the floor in between them, and, like a grenade waiting to explode, it burst out, and the strings of red energy wrapped around them, tying them to their places.
Eriol then snapped his fingers, and a torch in his hands lit up. Sakura was standing right next to him as they walked up to the frozen people, who were in the weirdest positions as they were trying to walk up the stairs when Eriol executed the spell. He and Sakura stared up at them. "You know," Eriol started, as if this was just any casual conversation , "I don't like it when people try to surprise us with a midnight visit. So instead," he the smiled that smile, "I decided that we should give you guys something to gawk about instead."
Sakura looked at the other person, and saw that she was an old woman. "Who is she?" Sakura demanded to Klarne. "And why did you plan to sneak up on us?"
"Lady Klarne!" the old hag barked. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"I don't know... What the heck are you people doing?!" she yelled. "We just came to bring you guys back home."
Sakura and Eriol blinked. "Home?" they both uttered at the same time.
"Yes!" Klarne yelled, trying her best to move, but finding it to be an ultimate loss. "We came here to tell you that a portal has been opened for you all to get back home. It shouldn't be too hard to do so. All you have to do is walk in."
"What makes you think that we want to go home?" Sakura asked.
Klarne looked at them. "You mean..." she said. "That you guys came in here on PURPOSE?!"
"There is no other reason for us for entering the Shadow World," Eriol told her. "But then again, you are here as well. I think that you have some explaining to do, Miss Klarne. How did you get here? When did you get here? And all those other stuff that I just don't feel like mentioning right now."
Klarne bit her lip as she looked at them. "Can't you let me go first, so I can sit down to talk to you all? It's hard to talk when I'm standing like this. And uncomfortable. I hate being uncomfortable."
"Well-" Sakura started.
"No can do, ma'am," Eriol said. "You're going to explain to us right now, right here. We'll let you go if we decide that your story's plausible enough."
Klarne sighed as she looked at them dejectedly. Slowly, she nodded. "Okay then. I'll explain everything about how I got here. It's not too hard.
"I entered the Shadow World about a year ago, I think. I don't remember much about it, but I do know that it was one of the weirdest things that I ever went through. I lived in America, and I was just walking down the street one day. You know, just those regular day when you're just trying to get home. I don't know how it happened, and I don't know what I can tell you that'll help you to understand, because I don't get it either.
"I was about halfway to my home, when suddenly, a big breeze started to pick up. I just thought that it was getting windy, that's all. A couple minutes later, the wind got even harsher on me. Still, I just thought that it was just the weather.
"All I understood was that the wind really picked up, and I could hardly walk against it. I flew back, and banged my head on the ground when I fell. I blacked out, and I have no clue how long I slept until I woke up again.
"When I did wake, I found myself here, right in this world. I wandered around, and people, like Lady Chanki here took me in. I was lost, and couldn't find a way back. In the end, I just stayed here, and never tried to find a way back. There's not much that I want to say about it... But... I still do want to go back, as hard as I can. I still wish. Oh, and I can tell you that the last I saw of Earth was in 2001... Well? Maybe you can tell me what time you're from."
"It's been at least a year," Sakura said flatly. "You've been here a while."
"Wow..." Klarne murmured. "A year already... It seems that time really flies while I'm here." Then, she looked up at them. "Please, my friends. Don't do this. Let us go, and we shall help you get back home." Then, Klarne smiled a reassuring smile at them.
Suddenly, Sakura glanced at Klarne's hands, and saw her holding onto two small necklaces, with a slab of rock, that looked to be about two inches in height and one inch in length. It was almost as thin as a piece of paper, and an image of a white flower was carved into it. Sakura continued to look at it, and pointed out, "I think those look like the so-called passes that we need."
Klarne nodded. "Yes," she said. "You carry these around so that you don't trigger the traps. Come on, now. I'm getting tired here," she gave them another smile, this one a bit more weary.
"Well, maybe we can let you go," Eriol whispered, "but we also don't want to go back to Earth. We can stay here, thank you very much. And I think that we'll just take those," he chirped as he grabbed the two passes from her hands. "We should leave now, Sakura."
Sakura nodded, and picked up their packs. "Sorry," she apologized. "It's just that... being careful is better than not, you know?"
Eriol nodded. "When we finish what we are doing, then we'll come and make up, okay? We'll buy gifts and everything. We'll make a public apology, and all that other stuff. Until then, have fun standing here for a couple more hours, okay?" He then winked at them, and walked off, followed by Sakura, who was nervously looking behind her shoulder at the bounded women.
Sakura quickly ran up to Eriol as they walked out of the building. "Did it work?" she whispered as she handed him is pack, who gratefully took it.
Suddenly, a large flash from the place burst out, and a rumbling sound emerged. Eriol smirked wryly. "Yep," he said. "It did."
Quickly, the two of them turned around, when a large gust of wind shot out at them from the building. Sakura felt her hood shoot off of her head and almost lost her grip on her bag. "I don't get it..." Sakura mumbled.
Eriol sighed as he willed his wand to come out. "It's not like anything new, Sakura. Expect the unexpected, remember? There isn't really anything that you shouldn't know about this."
"But... we don't know why they want us," Sakura mumbled. "And why they suddenly had such a changed of heart-"
"FORGIVE our manners, my dears," Klarne interrupted as she step out of the building with the old woman to them, her hands crackling with lightning magic. "If we had been better hosts, then maybe we could've fooled you better. Pardon us, please. Forgive us. Forgive us."
"Well, since there is a portal, why don't you come back to Earth with us?" Sakura pondered.
When there was a string of silence, Eriol replied, "Because there is no such portal. They lie." Then, he glared at her. "You do work for the dark magic." It was not a suggestion, it was a fact. A fact that he did not question at all.
Klarne grinned predatorily. "It's not that we wanted to. It's just that dark power is much more easily controllable than the 'right' magic, my dears."
"So..." Sakura realized. "You don't come from Earth..."
"Oh, but I did," Klarne continued to smile. "I did come here from Earth, and it was about a year ago."
"Then... why did this happen?" Sakura asked.
"Oh, don't you know by now?" Klarne rolled her eyes. "There is a reason why this place is known as the Shadow World. More than seventy-five percent of the consisted magic here is black magic. Dark powers. There is no way a person can travel and actually not run into this powerful energy."
"Then these passes-" Sakura said, looking down at the items in her hand.
"Well, those are authentic," Klarne chirped.
"But why-"
"Because you won't be able to use them. You'd be too dead to even be able to give a thought about them. We were given orders to dispose of any outsiders by Dtarna. And for a fairly lovely price as well," Klarne smiled. "There is no way that you will ever get out of this town alive."
Sakura's eyes flashed in fear as she clenched her hands into fists. "Damn it!" she hissed. "Darn it!"
"What?" Eriol asked.
"I don't have magic," she moaned.
"Hush," Eriol smirked. "I can take care of them, trust me."
Sakura's eyebrows raised up in disbelief. "But, Eriol... They look to be really strong."
"Heh... Do you really wish to doubt me, Sakura?" With those words, he held his hand out, and his staff shimmered before it appeared in his grasp. "Just stand behind me, and I will take care of everything." With those words, his staff shimmered again, and the light of energy split. In seconds, Eriol was holding onto a sword and a shield.
"What is that?" Sakura asked.
"Magic, what else? It is similar to when you use the sword card," he explained quickly.
"And yet, with so much in your hands, only one has the will to go against us, while the other does not. Two against one," Klarne smirked. "Let's see how well you do, dear wizard."
Clenching his weapon, Eriol felt anger boil in him. "Enough talk," he said, irritated at the fact that they thought he wasn't a match for them. "Let's just start the fighting."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 8 - Shadow World
Syaoran slowly raised his hand to his forehead, and left it there for a while when he felt himself slip back into his conscious mind. He didn't open his eyes, but instead, just laid there in the soft embrace of the silky fabric. Feeling a sense of tranquility upon him, Syaoran just laid there, glad of the comforting sheets on him. Peering up at his hands, Syaoran suddenly caught the image of scars and blisters on them.
Huh... he mumbled to himself, when his eyes shot wide open, and he jerked up in his bed. Suddenly, all his thoughts flooded in, and he remembered exactly where he was, why he was here (well, as much as he could get, that is), and who he was here with. Well, to be specific about the who, nobody. He was all by himself.
Other than Tgaeh, Syaoran mused. Then, he looked around him, and found himself in a pretty large bed, a semi-clear fabric or curtain covering over it. He inspected the clothes he was wearing, looking at the rich brown texture, and wondered where in the world his jeans and t-shirt were thrown to.
But as quickly as Syaoran had sat up, he felt himself unwillingly fall back down onto the bed. Clutching his head, it soon dawned on him as to how exhausted he mysteriously was. Syaoran groaned as he felt headaches run through him, practically gasping for breath, even though he had a small feeling that he has slept for a few days.
What is wrong with me?! Syaoran questioned himself. He needed an answer, and he needed one quickly. He needed to know who this woman is, what has been going on, and above all else, how to get out of this hellhole.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 7 - Shadow World
The black cackling energy flowing around Klarne started to gather around a held out hand in the air. She then threw it straight towards Eriol, grinning slightly when she watch it expand and then narrowed to strike him.
Eriol rolled his eyes as he waved his hand in the air, and the black magic diminished into nothing at all. Seeing the shocked expression on their faces, Eriol exasperatedly said, "I am a master of my magic, ladies. There is no way that I will lose to people such as you, who are still trying to reach a certain level. There is more to me that you will ever wish to see!" With those words, he raised his sword into the sky, and stroke the ground right in front of his feet. Seconds later, the sword changed back to a wand after he pulled it out from the earth. From that section on, the soil underneath started to rumble loudly.
Suddenly, roots shot out to grab a hold at Klarne and the old woman's feet, wrapping around them as they did.
"No!" Klarne hissed, throwing the black energy at the earth that surrounded her. She then looked up desperately at the old woman. "Help!" she shrieked. "Chanki, do something!"
The old woman Chanki threw her arms up into the air, and swirls of shadows clouded all over her. While she did that, Eriol waved his hand in a circle, and a shield appear. Before Chanki could even use the power she had gathered, Eriol pointed his wand at them again, and the roots that tugged at their feet started to glow around them.
Klarne blinked, and gave a sharp yell when she saw her legs shifting to a dull brown color. She quickly grabbed down on her leg, but jerked away when her hands started to change as well. "No!" she sucked in her breath in shock. The same soon started to happen to the old woman.
Eriol stood there, rigid. Then, he grabbed onto Sakura's arm, and waved his wand around them once. "No!" Sakura yelled desperately, trying to get Eriol to stop. "You can't-" But her words were taken away as they molded into the dark atmosphere. They faded into the night, leaving the stiff women frozen to their spots, now as hard as wood itself.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 10 - Earth
"Well?" Nakuru asked Kaho, walking into a large library.
"I think I found it," Kaho smiled to her, and held up a book in her arms so that Nakuru could see, standing in front of a never-ending, tall shelf of books. On the ancient hardcover volume, there held the words: Magyck Bynds. "I am sure that all you have to do is give me a night to read through it. There is much that I can find out by then."
"Well? What is it about?"
Putting it down on a podium next to her, Kaho opened it gently, a cloud of dust popping up from the pages. "Clow Reed was not the magician and fool as he is today, as you should know already. The Clow Cards he might have created, but that does not mean he did not have a back-up supply of magic in case they failed him. If in dire situations, he would always have this for extreme and critical affairs."
"And you believe that there might be a spell in here to help create a portal to the Shadow World?"
"Yes, and maybe even be able to activate the Star cards as well, for they hold a large quantity and amount of magic in them. If we can, they might be able to help us."
"So we just pray now?"
"So we pray." But as she said that, Kaho smiled.
Nakuru then gave an angry huff, glaring off to nowhere in particular.
"What is wrong, Nakuru?" Kaho asked from where she was browsing through the book.
"You know," Nakuru sulked, crossing her arms over her chest furiously, "I came here looking for something to do! And instead, I end up sitting around in a house. AGAIN. Only this time, I worry about Master, and how he is faring, while he leaves me here, with Suppi. Why couldn't I get sucked into that stupid portal, anyway?!" she cried.
Kaho chuckles lightly, seeing this guardian break at the so-called boredom she was experiencing.
"What are you so happy about, though?" Nakuru asked. "I mean, Master and that girl is stuck in another world. I do not think that this qualifies as happy hour. Especially since I am here."
Kaho just continued to smile, looking up at Nakuru. "Well, if you knew what I know, then you would smile as well."
"Okay then," Nakuru said slowly. "What are you so happy about?"
"Love," Kaho stated.
Nakuru raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay..."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 10 - Shadow World
Tgaeh grumbled as he returned to his home, the sun almost out of his sight. He turned around, and narrow his eyes to the sun, almost staring at it. Quickly, he walked into his house, and sat down on a wooden bench. He stretched his arms, sighed, and slowly poured some water into a cup from a container.
"Your friend has not returned ever since he has left to her castle," Brache smirked, Sharhn at his side. He grabbed onto her hand, and slowly took her in through the doorway. "He'll never come out, Tgaeh, and you know that. Forget about the prophecy that you dream of, brother. Please. For once, just try to forget about it-"
"I cannot!" Tgaeh exclaimed, and raked his fingers through his hair.
"If he does not show again, then that means that he is dead," Brache said, enunciating perfectly each word that came out of his mouth. "If she has not seduced his soul out of his body yet, then he is a prisoner there, almost dead anyway. Too late for him, don't you think?" Brache looked at the sitting Tgaeh, his eyes filled with mocking laughter.
Sighing, Tgaeh put down his cup of water, and looked at Brache. Sharhn smiled sheepishly at Brache, then ran up to Tgaeh. Giving him a hug, she then ran up to her bed, and went to sleep. Watching her go, Tgaeh then turned back to Brache. "Brother," he uttered that one word. "Do you wish to stay here for the rest of your life?"
Brache scoffed. "As if I have any other choice."
"You will always have a choice," Tgaeh said firmly, sounding as serious as he could. "The only one who is stopping you is master. Why not go kill her?"
Choking a bit, Brache stared at him. "What are you?! Insane?! Do you wish for me to die?!"
Tgaeh sucked in his breath and let it out. "I am sorry, Brache. It's just that..."
Suddenly, footsteps were heard walking towards them.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 7 - Shadow World
"STTTOOOOPPPPPP!!!" Sakura shrieked, her eyes shut when they had disappeared. She clutched his shirt tightly, hoping that he would have at least heard her.
"Enough, Sakura," Eriol snapped. "Let go of me!"
She opened her eyes, and found themselves on the road again. The worry and nervousness in her eyes faded, replaced with anger. She jerked her head to Eriol, and yelled, "How could you do that do them, Eriol?!"
A scowl on his face as well, Eriol shot back, "Because there was no other way to escape. If you wish to have stayed there, why didn't you tell me?!" The sarcasm mixed with anger made the statement come out in a peculiar result.
"You did not need to turn them to... to... whatever you turned them to! Maybe knocking them out would've done just fine, too, you know!" Sakura yelled.
"When a person is in a haste, one tends to just use whatever spell is in one's head," he said through gritted teeth, his face just inches from hers. "Don't you ever try to tell me to not do something, Sakura." Sakura's eyes widened slightly, a shocked feeling in herself. Eriol... He's never talked to her like this before. Not once. Turning around, to Sakura's relief that his face wasn't so close to hers anymore, he took out his wand once more. "We're going to sleep here tonight. Just be quiet, okay?"
Sakura, wanting to reply back to that, bit her tongue instead. "Will they change back?" she whispered softly.
Turning around, Eriol's eyes softened a bit when he saw the distressed look on her face. A moment or two passed, and he slowly nodded his head. "I forgot to tell you that they will stay that way until sunrise. I had no time to make it permanent." When the hole appeared, Eriol jumped in, leaving Sakura up there on regular level ground.
Sakura squinted her eyes in pain, but quickly let it go when she followed him. Jumping in, she saw that he was already unpacking his stuff. This time, he did not even go to gather wood. He flicked his hand around the center, and a burst of floating fire appeared, warming the entire place up. Then, he waved his hand in the air, and the shield locked in over their heads.
"What happened to not wanting to waste your magic?" she whispered softly, asking the question as cautiously as she could.
Sitting there, Eriol just looked into the fire, brooding as he did. The light illuminated off of his hair and his fair, and he was as still as can be, never answering Sakura's question.
"Eriol... what did I say?!" she exclaimed, looking at him hopelessly. She got up, and walked to Eriol. Kneeling down next to him, she tried to peer into his face. "Eriol, look at me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."
With no response and expression on his face, Eriol stood up abruptly. Never looking down at her, he jumped up, through the shield, and Sakura could hear his steps walking away from her. Sakura sighed in defeat as she crumbled onto the floor, and just curled up in a ball next to the warmth of the fire.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Day 8 - Shadow World
Sakura moaned as she woke up. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw that the fire from last night had disappeared. Getting up, she felt something fall from her shoulders. Sakura picked it up, and found herself holding onto a thin blanket. She looked around some more, her eyes falling onto Eriol, who was sleeping upright, his back against the wall.
Feeling herself withdraw, Sakura stared thoughtfully at him. Getting up, she walked up to him, and laid the blanket over his shoulders, while she found a spot to sit down next to him. Once she saw that he did not even wake up from the rustling she previously did, Sakura decided, He must have really stayed up late last night. She sighed some more when she saw how dirty he looked. His hair was disheveled, and his glasses could do with some cleaning, why with the dirt on it and all. His clothes were a bit untidy.
Sakura found herself curious to the max and she continued to stare at his sleeping face. There, she found a smudge of dirt on his cheek, and slowly, she started to bring her hand up. Sakura stopped herself just in time, a bit of a confused look on her face. Then, she reached up again, and softly wiped the filth off of his cheek.
Suddenly, Eriol's eyes opened so unexpectedly, that it caused Sakura to jumped back a bit. She looked at him, a bit of an uneasy and tense energy flowing out of her. Eriol turned to look at her with incredulous and disbelief as he slowly touched his cheek, the one which she had used her finger to wipe the dirt away.
"Oh..." she whimpered. "I'm sorry, Eriol! Whatever I did, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it. I really didn't. I just thought that you.. well, you had a smidge of something on her face, so I just decided to wipe it off. Okay? Okay? Not okay?"